Mario Bautista says he is willing to share the Octagon with friend and former teammate Sean O'Malley if it means a shot at UFC bantamweight gold.
Bautista, now 17-3 in MMA and 11-3 in the UFC at 135 pounds, is coming off a decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 329, a result that moved him closer to a title opportunity.
Speaking about a potential clash with O'Malley, Bautista said, "I haven't talked to him, but I think we both have an understanding that if it's for the No. 1 spot to be next for the title or for the title, what else could we possibly do?" He added, "So, we just have to be ready for that scenario, I guess."
Bautista and O'Malley came up together as amateurs at The MMA Lab in Arizona, rising through the ranks alongside Kyler Phillips. "We're not super close or anything, but coming up, we were both amateurs at The Lab," Bautista said. "We were both young guys. There were three of us that were kind of stuck together – Me, Kyler (Phillips), and Sean. Just the young guys on the team that were getting beat up by the guys already in the UFC. So kind of growing up together like that, you get a close bond, and then you rise up the ranks with each other. Kyler, then Sean, and we're following each other, and that's when he made his move out of The Lab."
Despite training apart now, Bautista stressed there is no bad blood: "I think Sean is a good friend. I think he's a good guy, and I have nothing against him. It's just, now that we're not in the same gym, we don't interact with each other as much, but I'll see him from time to time, and it's always good vibes, nothing weird."
